US airman Jack Teixeira leaked classified documents months earlier than previously known
- A report said the 21-year-old posted intelligence on the Russian war effort on a previously undisclosed chat group on Discord, days after the Ukraine invasion began
- The FBI arrested Teixeira last week in connection with the leaks
This chat room was publicly listed on a YouTube channel and was easily accessible, the newspaper added.
The Pentagon declined to comment on the new information reported by The New York Times.
The 21-year-old US Air National Guardsman facing criminal charges for leaking top-secret military intelligence records online was arrested last week.
The New York Times said the newly discovered information posted on the larger chat group included details about Russian and Ukrainian casualties, activities of Moscow’s spy agencies and updates on aid being provided to Ukraine.
The user claimed to be posting information from the National Security Agency, the Central Intelligence Agency and other intelligence agencies, according to The New York Times.
The case is believed to be the most serious US security breach since more than 700,000 documents, videos and diplomatic cables appeared on the WikiLeaks website in 2010. The Pentagon has called the leak a “deliberate, criminal act.”
The leaks did not come to light until they were reported by The New York Times in early April even though the documents were posted earlier.
Teixeira was charged with one count of violating the Espionage Act related to the unlawful copying and transmitting of sensitive defence material, and a second charge related to unlawful removal of defence material to an unauthorised location. He is likely to face more charges, legal experts have said.